Church of Beltar

Beltar is the Suel goddess of malice, caves, and pits. Her holy symbol is a set of opened fangs poised to bite. Though often depicted as a haglike human female, Beltar is known to also appear as a beholder, red dragon, or marilith. Beltar hates nearly everything, even other deities.
She is most popular in the far-Eastern Flanaess, especially the Dominion of the Sea Barons, Stonehold, the Bone March, and throughout the underdark. She is also worshipped in Pomarj

Mythology & Lore

Beltar was formerly a goddess of earth and mines, but was supplanted by other Suel gods, until her only worshipers were nonhuman slaves. It is perhaps for this reason that Jascar is one of her greatest enemies.
Beltar will often take mates in her various forms, but few survive, as she eats them afterward, as well as any young born from such a union.

Tenets of Faith

Beltar's priests preach hatred of one's enemies, rather than fear. They are expected to take positions of leadership in their tribes, or to form their own. The priesthood makes examples of the weak-willed and traitors. They usually fight with their natural weapons, cesti, or spiked gauntlets. Devoted priests, within a year of their deaths, often rise from the grave as undead, often to return to their original tribes. Beltar's followers are encouraged to mine and explore caverns for riches and foes to kill.

Worship

Services to Beltar are usually held in caves or points of low ground, and often involve sacrifice of sentient beings.

Priesthood

Clergy devoted to the service of Beltar all wear black or dark gray robes. They aretrained in blind-fighting. The greatest honor to which a cleric of Beltar aspires is the right to continue existence as a lich.
Beltar and her priesthood are almost totally concerned with the underground. The lands above hold no interest (and perhaps a little fear) to them. The cold, dank earth and warm stone within which these priests dwell is seen to support the Bright World. Priests of Beltar pity those who choose life above, for they clearly have some sort of madness. Living in towers or on mountains with so much bright, open space is a manifestation of this madness.
Others refer to the Lands Supported as the Place of Confusion or Half-Place where darkness exists only half the time. In the Beneath, BeltarÊs priests know what can come from where. The further they tunnel into the Oerth, the closer they come to Beltar (they believe her domain can be reached from the center of the Oerth) and the ecstasy she bestows on her faithful. Any sort of sunlight (even on an overcast day) and bright lights are avoided by these priests.
These priests often suffer from agoraphobia (fear of open places) and acrophobia (fear of heights, outdoors only). Beltar's priests will flee from direct confrontation unless they outnumber their opponents or have some sort of advantage. Instead, they seek to bully and intimidate or use hit-and-run tactics. In their underground homes, they have much more confidence against a single opponent.
In the shallower depths, this priesthood is often at odds with that of Fortubo. Further, BeltarÊs priests attack at all opportunities clerics of Dumathoin (dwur deity of secrets under the mountain). They feel Dumathoin's clerics are defiling Beltar's temple. In the deeps, the deities, priests, and followers of the drow, duergar, derro, and mind flayers have learned to respect Beltar and her priests.

Granted Divine Powers

Beltar has been known to grant eternal unlife to her most devoted followers.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion